Inside: Trading Micah Parsons was a loss for the Cowboys, win for the Packers, and another headline for Jerry Jones.
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Justifying the Micah Parsons trade
“Don’t lose any sleep over it,” we were told. “Just part of the negotiation.”
Jerry Jones was always quick to refute the idea that Parsons would be anywhere but Dallas. “I wouldn’t be standing here with you if I didn’t think we potentially had a great future with Micah,” he said in early August.
The Athletic’s Michael Silver saw through the miscalculation for what this really was: A situation spiraling out of Jones’ control. So, after the Packers offered two first-round picks, plus 29-year-old run-stopping defensive tackle Kenny Clark, Jones pivoted.
Now, he claims it was in the best interest of the team to move Parsons. Jerry and his son Stephen said Thursday that Dallas’ depth at edge and ability to scheme pressure would suffice; stopping the run was more important, and swapping Parsons for Clark improved their defense in the short term. “Clark was a big part of this. That was the part of winning right now,” Stephen Jones said during a press conference after the trade.
We all cope differently.
They even referenced the 1989 Herschel Walker trade, as if it compares. Those Cowboys, rebuilding after a 3-13 finish the year prior — and amid an 0-5 start — benefited from a bidding war for Walker, their 27-year-old star running back. That saga concluded with Walker’s trade to the Vikings, widely criticized at the time, which netted three first-round picks. That, plus the savvy management of Jimmy Johnson, is a big reason why Dallas won the Super Bowl in 1992. And 1993. And 1995.
But this is not the ’80s, Jerry. Unlike their 1989 predecessors, this Cowboys team is built to win, recording three consecutive 12-win seasons prior to an injury-plagued 2024. And Parsons, who turned 26 earlier this offseason, is obviously not an aging running back like Walker (though with his 4.39 speed, he probably could be).
Parsons is also more than just another star edge rusher. This is a generational talent, entering his prime after arguably the best start to a career of any pass rusher since at least 2000. Here’s how Parsons stacks up:
Teams competing for a Super Bowl don’t trade these players. Sure, Khalil Mack was traded in his prime, but that Raiders team had finished 6-10 and would be 4-12 their first year without him. The Cowboys, armed with the league’s highest-paid quarterback, expect to win now.
Since taking him with the 12th pick in 2021, the Cowboys defense allows 6.3 yards per pass attempt — tied with the 49ers and Chiefs for the league’s fifth-best mark. But that’s with Parsons on the field. Without him, Dallas falls to 32nd. No scheme or depth option ever replaces this:
As you know, Parsons is heading to Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he’ll make up to an average of $47 million per season as the highest-paid non-quarterback in history.
The dozens of Jerry Jones defenders can take solace in the following:
- The team needed a run-stopping defensive tackle like Clark, while Parsons’ position on the edge was the team’s deepest group thanks to the addition of veteran Dante Fowler Jr., who had 10.5 sacks last season, and promising second-round pick Donovan Ezeuiruaku.
- The Cowboys have been one of the league’s best-drafting teams, so even two late first-round picks are worth more in their hands, thanks to Vice President of Player Personnel Will McClay.
- Saving $47 million per season, plus the draft picks, gives Dallas a war chest for future moves. “Nothing says we can’t use some of those picks right now to go get somebody right now,” said Jones.
Still, Parsons is the type of player the Cowboys’ dynasties were built on, and one they are unlikely to get with Green Bay’s late first-round picks in 2026 and 2027, nor replace by spending that money elsewhere.
Regardless, it’s the latest example of Jones doing what he does best: keep the Cowboys in headlines. The NFL is in the entertainment business, after all, and Jones has kept his franchise as America’s most valuable, despite repeated stumbles. Jones might cost the Cowboys wins, but their losses sure don’t cost him.
The Athletic’s Cowboys beat reporter Jon Machota has more in the full story on how Dallas reached this shocking decision. Over to The Athletic’s film guru for quick word.
Ted Nguyen: Parsons is what Green Bay needed
The Packers were among the worst pass rushing teams in the league last year, ranking 26th in ESPN pass rush rate. Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley is from the Pete Carroll cover 3 system and is reluctant to blitz to create pressure. To Hafley’s credit, he is much more diverse schematically than other coaches from that tree but he wants to be able to get to the quarterback with front four.
Enter Micah Parsons, a generational pass rusher who has led his position in pressure rate since 2022, and this defense has exactly what it lacked.
Back to you, Jacob.
Back to Titletown?
Aaron Rodgers was 27 when he won a Super Bowl. So was Brett Favre. Guess how old Jordan Love turns in November?
After Green Bay acquired Parsons, Love now has something else in common with his legendary predecessors: An elite pass rusher.
Rodgers’ lone Super Bowl season was partly the result of the best defense of his Packers’ career. Same story with Favre, as both of their respective defenses ranked top-five in points and yards allowed, the only time that happened in either of their careers.
The 2024 Packers defense appeared one player away, ranking sixth in points and fifth in yards. Parsons takes them to that elite level, as beat reporter Matt Schneidman explained, and his presence makes everything easier for their defense:
“Entering Jeff Hafley’s first season as Packers defensive coordinator in 2024, [head coach Matt] LaFleur envisioned rushing a traditional four and dropping a traditional seven in coverage. Green Bay’s pass rushers weren’t good enough, so Hafley resorted to exotic pressures.”
With this move, the similarities between the 2025 Packers and their Super Bowl-winning predecessors are uncanny. Like their 1993 signing of Reggie White or drafting Clay Matthews in 2009, this elevates Green Bay’s pass rush into one of the league’s best.
We’re quick to forget that it was White and Matthews — not their quarterbacks — who were the Packers best players when Green Bay won their last two Super Bowls, as measured by Pro Football Reference’s Approximate Value stat.
A young team in need of star power got exactly that. Everything is aligned for a big season in Titletown.
History Check
Now, how does it compare to similar trades since 2000? I planned to rank it, but this trade can’t be compared to four other significant trades involving more than a first-round pick and a defensive standout:
2013: Buccaneers traded their first- and fourth-round pick to the Jets for 27-year-old cornerback Darrell Revis, whom they quickly made the league’s highest-paid defensive player. Revis played just one season in Tampa Bay.
2018: Bears acquired a 27-year-old Khalil Mack from the Raiders, signing him to a six-year extension that made him the league’s highest-paid player, at the time. He spent four years in Chicago without a playoff win. Doink.
2019: Rams sent two firsts and a fourth-round pick to the Jaguars for cornerback Jalen Ramsey, whom they made the highest-paid defender in the NFL. Ramsey spent four productive seasons with the Rams, winning the 2021 Super Bowl.
2020: Seahawks sent two firsts and a third for safety Jamal Adams and a fourth-round pick. He was the league’s highest-paid safety the next offseason, and spent three and a half seasons in Seattle.
Jeff Howe’s A+++ trade grade for the Packers has them as the clear winner. I agreed. No offense to the names above, but this is Micah Freaking Parsons, entering his prime. There hasn’t been a deal like it this century.
Extra Points
🎙 What happened?! The “Scoop City” Podcast brought Dianna Russini along with The Athletic’s Cowboys and Packers beat reporters to unpack the league-altering deal. Watch that here. Worth it.
🤯 Reactions. Current and former Cowboys shared their surprise on social media.
📓 All-32: Intel. Jeff Howe visited a dozen training camps this summer. Today, he shared what he learned.
▶️ Yesterday’s most clicked: The 10 worst QB situations in the NFL.
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(Photo: Emilee Chinn / Getty Images)